Random Thoughts while Running

I have learned some things about running over the past few days!
#1: It's never a good idea to stuff your face with granola and drink a bottle of water and then head out for a 3 mi jaunt. Cramping will happen.

#2: Running in the evening is far more difficult than running first thing in the morning...c'mon summer!!!

#3: Faster songs make running easier. I never remember any of the songs I hear when running though...

#4: I hate getting out of my neighborhood. There is no way to avoid beginning on a hill.

#5: Beginning on a hill will make the rest of the run difficult.

#6: Running on flat ground is WAY easier than running up and downs hills.

#7: I need new shoes.

#8: Stress makes running more enjoyable :)

#9: This was not intended to be a running blog but that all I seem to blog about.

#10: I needed a #10 because I didn't like the idea of ending on 9.

3 miles today!

Happy Wednesday :)

Running in a Thunderstorm....not a good idea!

So while sitting at tutoring...I noticed it getting darker and darker but I hadn't packed clothes so going to the gym wasn't in my plans for the evening. I wanted to come home and get in a quick run for the Runner's World Challenge. I wasn't hoping for much mileage tonight since my body feels like it's a Monday and I never get in much on Monday's. I decided as  I was driving home that if it hadn't started raining by the time I got home then I would go to the municipal park and run there so my car would be close by. I got home and shoveled in some Love Grown granola, changed my clothes and headed over to the park. It was getting really dark at this point but hadn't started to rain yet. 1.5 times around is a mile so I was hoping to squeeze that in. I got about 3/4 of the way around and then the rain hit. At first, I thought I could do it but then it started raining really hard. It wasn't worth the risk of my iPhone getting ruined in the rain. I hopped in my car but was unsatisfied with the knowledge that I wasn't going to get in a full mile on the 2nd day of the challenge. I wasn't liking the idea of driving the rest of the way to gym, sprinting in there only to do another mile or so and then leave. Fortunately, a friend lives nearby and has a treadmill so...I sent her a text and she responded right away! I got to chat with her while running an additional mile on her treadmill which allowed me to get in 1.7 mi for the day. Not much but better than it would've been had I let the rain keep me inside!!! Happy Tuesday :)

Run, Run, Run!

Happy Memorial Day everyone! While we should be thankful for our service men and women everyday, it's especially important to think about and remember them on days like today! I hope everyone has something fun planned for today!!!

Here is an overview of a whirlwind of the past few days :)

Friday night was date night :) Tim took me out to celebrate my 26th birthday! We went to a local Irish restaurant for dinner then to a frozen yogurt place for dessert! I was super excited about the frozen yogurt because it was one of those places where you self serve then pay by weight at the end. This place is about 2 mins away from where I work and I didn't know anything about it until Thursday afternoon...so of course trying it on Friday was a must! On our way home we stopped by my brother-in-law and soon to be sister-in-law's house! I hadn't seen it yet and we hadn't met there new adorable puppy Remmy! We chatted with them for a while then made our way home to get to bed early to get up and get our exercise out of the way before the 90* temps hit!

Saturday:
I think I may be clearing out of the exercise rut! I gave myself a wonderful birthday gift on Saturday...my best 6 mi time ever! 44:30 with a 7:13 min/mile pace! I have no idea where that speed came from but it definitely rejuvenated my love for exercise! Saturday was a great birthday :) After the run, I came home and showered then took a dress to be altered for the wedding I am in on June 9th! I got yelled at by the seamstress for ordering the wrong size (didn't order the wrong size just have lost weight since Jan when I ordered it!!!) I was treated to lunch by my sister and Mom then enjoyed a delicious chocolate lava cake for dessert courtesy of the best sister ever :)! After lunch, I headed to the Bride-to-Be's house to kick off her bachelorette celebration! We then headed into the city for the O's game (they lost :( ), dinner and a night of dancing at Power Plant Live! She had a great time and was definitely deserving of the fun night out! Can't wait for her wedding in 2 weeks!!!

The Bachelorette and I

These two weirdo's were there as well!

Sunday:
Yesterday morning, I got up and showered and headed off to NJ for the day to celebrate my cousin's amazing accomplishment! We offically have a lawyer in our family! Yay, Matt!!! It was a long day in the car and I was far too exhausted by the time we got home to do anything. We set out on a walk with Libby (who definitely needed it after being in the house all day) only to be greeted by a thunderstorm...so back into the house we went! We enjoyed what is quite possibly the most amazing thing I have found in a while...Ben and Jerry's frozen GREEK YOGURT! It was to die for! I tried the Blueberry Graham and Tim tried the Strawberry Shortcake. Both were absolutely amazing! I am defintely looking forward to trying Raspberry Fudge and Peanut Butter Banana!!! I was exhausted from the night before and the long day in the car so we watched a bit of TV and went to bed early!

Monday:
I popped out of bed this morning, eager to begin the Runners World challenge! Run at least 1 mile a day every day from Memorial Day to the 4th of July! I did a 4 mi run this morning to try and beat the heat. The humidity definitely slowed me down though! Hoping that that's not an omen for the rest of the summer! I can't believe how hot and humid it is already! I am excited about the Runner World challenge and about finally having some motivation to get out and do something every day! I will hold myself accountable by writing about it on here! I think I'm all caught up on the excitement of the past few days :)  Tim and I may be going to a running store today to get my fitted shoes (my birthday gift from him). But for now, I'm off to enjoy my Memorial Day and a day off work :)! 9 more days of school...not that I'm counting or anything ;)!

Happy Memorial Day!


Emily

In a Rut

Ugh! That is how I have been feeling for the past two weeks about eating and exercising! All I want to eat is Mexican food. Not sure what that is all about. Last night, hubby grilled chicken sausages and asparagus and just as it came in the house, I decided to make my new favorite taco salad. It was ALL I could think about!!! I have been mixing black beans, mexican blend cheese, fresh salsa and a handful of multigrain tostitos together, dropping a dap of sour cream on top and throwing it in the microwave. It tastes delicious but isn't very interesting. I feel like I could eat the same things all day every day! And for the most part I do. I eat a Cliff Bar for breakfast, some sort of granola around 9.00 (Love Grown is my new favorite), a whole wheat wrap that I dip in hummus and Chobani for lunch and apples and peanut butter around 4.00. Dinner is the only thing that changes day to day and now I am trying to make that consistent. I go through phases like this and then I will like something new and eat that every day for awhile. I would have to say that by nature, I am definitely a routine driven person so it's not surprising that I like the structure of eating the same things all of the time. I also think I fell into this habit when I was restricting my calories. It's a lot easier to count calories from day to day if you are just eating the same things. I no longer pay that close attention to that and don't even measure out the hummus or peanut butter. I just estimate what 2 tbsp. looks like. This is a huge feat for me and one that I am proud of myself for!!!

As far as exercise goes, I have not been in the mood for it. I am still exercising almost every day but it's something that I have been dreading recently. I am hoping that when school is out and I have more time and energy I will get back into the swing of it. I really wish that I could be someone who exercised in the morning but I have enough trouble getting out of bed to get ready for work. I can't imagine getting up at 5.30 to exercise before needing to start getting ready at 6.00. I definitely think some of my recent issues have been that I am tired of working out alone. A goal that I have this summer is to start trying some of the classes at the gym. Right now the times of those don't work with my tutoring schedule so I am hoping to attend some day classes once school is out for summer! Any suggestions on spicing up my workouts in the mean time??

Hoping to out of this rut soon and back into my usual exercise loving self :)! I am also hoping to find more things to post about more frequently (I think the lack of posting was part of this eating and exercise rut)!!! Happy Wednesday!


Emily

Gorgeous Thursday

Yesterday's weather was AMAZING! I couldn't wait to get home from tutoring to get outside and run. And then I got outside and ran... The first 1.5 were torturous. My legs were sore. My breathing wasn't normal. I was getting stomach cramps. I nearly stopped. But I kept pushing through and by mile 3 I was at a comfortable steady 9:something pace. Not as fast as I was hoping but my goal changed from getting it done fast to just getting it done. I ended up with 5.5 miles in about 48 minutes. Not to bad but not my best by far.

I had to stop by my sister's to pick something up and ended up talking to her for a few minutes. She had made taco salad for dinner and it smelled wonderful. So when I got home (at 8.30) all I wanted was mexican. Unfortunately, we didn't have everything on hand for what I wanted. So off the hubby went to Weis. On his way back, he heard my tire hissing. We had found a nail in it on Sunday but we weren't too worried about it because it was it was plugging the hole that it had created. Apparently the nail fell out and now air was just leaking out of the tire. So I ended up on making dinner duty and hubby ended up putting on the spare. Looks like I will be replacing my tires this weekend (I have needed them since Oct....nothing like dragging your feet on spending $800). After all of that excitement, we ended up eating dinner at 9.15 :( and then going right to bed. Thankfully, I didn't add much carb to the taco salad I made so I went to bed feeling satisfied but not stuffed. Sadly for us, it isn't untypical to be eating dinner between 8.30-9.30 at night. This is definitely something I would like to work on. Especially this summer when I won't be rushing from work, to tutoring, to exercising!

Ended up being a much crazier night than I had expected but I am thankful that I was able to drive my car to work today and that the nail didn't pop out when I was driving it. Hoping this amazing weather continues so I can get in a better run!!!

Emily

Buffet Situations

Our PTA is wonderful. They have dinners for conference nights and a Teacher Appreciation Luncheon every year. My first year of teaching, I lived for these nights and this day!  So much food...so delicious...so not good for you! I would fill my plate up and then go back for seconds. Then the left-overs are in our faculty lounge for us to enjoy for the next few days for lunch. The desserts overflow the counters and having the sweet tooth that I do...I couldn't get enough and would even take some a lot back to my classroom with me.  In situations like this I have a lot of trouble controlling myself because the amount of calories is not directly stated so I can pretend like it's not much in my mind. 


With that being said...today was our Teacher Appreciation luncheon. And now these situations stress me out a little a lot. 


I brought my own lunch with every intent of eating my standard. Whole Grain (low carb) wrap, hummus, Chobani and of course water :)! But in fear of appearing crazy in front of fellow staff members and parents, I opted to be smart with my choices at the luncheon.
Last year at this time I was limiting my calorie intake and so obsessed with what I was eating, I ate only fruit and veggies. Since I wasn't eating dinner at that time, I went to bed with a HORRIBLE headache that night. 


This year, I made better choices. I ate a little bit of roman noodle salad, caeser salad and then a helping  3 helpings of fuiji apple salad (minus the dressing). I bypassed the amazing desserts and ate a few (enough to give me a stomachache) mints. Everything I ate was delicious and I am pleased that I was able to control myself enough in this situation but not limit myself to fruits and veggies. I also now have a lunch prepared and already here for tomorrow!




Emily

My Story

I have often been known to describe myself as an under-eater or an over-eater but never a healthy eater.

Sometimes it's hard for me to believe that 5 1/2 years ago, I weighed 215 pounds. When I think about that time in my life...I'm not even sure who that person is. I am in disbelief that I ever let myself get that far. This is the story of how I gained that weight, lost it and am now attempting to find a healthy balance in my life.


I would have to say that growing up, I was average size close to overweight. I played sports my whole life and that was the only way I ever exercised. I graduated high school wearing a size 12 and weighing right around 150. I was never comfortable with the way I looked but also never really motivated enough to do anything about it. After graduation, any and all exercise in my life halted and I entered the wonderful world of college dining halls. I grew up in a house that had accessible "junk" food but was never really an over-eater. Life on the college campus was a different story. My meals consisted of an uncountable amount of calories. Thinking about that now...I am disgusted that I was ever able to do that. As my weight crept up, I became more and more depressed and continued letting these bad habits spiral out of control. By the end of my freshman year, I had gained 40 lbs and was showing no signs of slowing down. I moved back home and began sneaking food. I ate after my parents went to bed and often stopped and crammed an unhealthy meal in my mouth before returning home and eating with my parents. I had no concept of what I was doing to myself. In 2006, I went on a family vacation with, my then boyfriend, now husband. I could not have been more uncomfortable with myself on this trip. However, upon returning home, I rolled right back into my unhealthy eating habits. This carried on for another 3 months. 

Me at 215 lbs. Cruise 2006.

The Day My Life Changed for the Good...
In October of 2006, I went to work at my part-time job and saw brownies. I decided that day that if I could make it through that whole shift without eating one then I was well on my way to losing some of this unwanted weight. That thought spiraled out into months of dieting. I signed up for Sparkpeople.com and began counting calories and lost 12 pounds immediately. When the weight lose halted there, I began incorporating walking into my daily routine. Then things got a little unhealthy in the opposite direction. Over the next few months, I became so obsessed with calorie counting that I knocked my daily intake from 1,200 to 800. However, in 7 months, I had knocked off the extra 65 lbs I had gained after high school. I was wearing my high school jeans and I was thrilled. I continued on with this weight for the next 2 years and I was perfectly content. 

Unhealthy Habits Return...
Then I got married...I moved out of my parents home and into my own with my husband. Learning how to cook for two was difficult and being married to someone who was overweight allowed me to feel more comfortable eating more than necessary. I gained 30 lbs in a year and half. I was back up to 180 and creeping scarily close to the 200 lb mark again.

Christmas 2010.



Shrinking Again...
On New Years Day 2011, I decided enough was enough and asked my sister to start going to the gym with me. I also began counting calories again. This time I wasn't using a program just doing it mentally. Things once again got out of control and eventually I had stopped eating dinner. I was down to 200-300 calories a day and going to the gym every day. I have no idea how I had enough energy to function with 6 year olds every day. I was averaging about 2 lbs of weight lose a week and I was down another 50 lbs and was unable to see anything wrong with my means of losing the weight. My sister and my husband intervened and I slowly began including more calories in my day. Summer and Fall came and I gained about 7 of the 50 lost back. This is why I say I am either an over-eater or under-eater. When I would count calories, I would be so obsessed with it that I didn't eat enough. But if I wasn't counting calories than I wasn't caring enough to notice weight gain.

An Awakening...
On New Years Day 2012, my husband and I started South Beach diet. My husband has also always struggled with his weight and he needed a plan that would help him shed unwanted pounds fast. I lost the 7 lbs I had gained and began working out regularly. We have slowly let South Beach go and I have since been attempting to find a healthy balance for myself and my husband. I am trying to learn to pay less attention to the calorie number and more attention to whether or not what I am about to put in my body is good for me. Learning this balance is tricky for me and I'll admit, grocery shopping is often difficult. I catch myself looking at the calories on everything I pick up and admittedly put a great deal of things back because of the calories.  I have decided to document my (our) journey through the use of this blog.

Me. Now. (I have no idea why this picture is not rotated. I tried several things :/).

My journey has been long and is no where near over. I am looking forward to the challenges that lay ahead and hope this blog helps me stay on top of my weight maintance and continues to motivate me to eat healthy and exercise. 

This blog is by no means documenting everything I eat...nor is it a diet that I recommend for others. Just my story and my life.